When Behind The Ears premieres internationally at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2025 this August, it won’t just be another short on the circuit. Director Namya Chadha has lived the experience she’s filming in her debut feature, and her cast, Janhavi Khemka and Lavannya Balakrishnan, are not simply inspiration. They are here to talk, in their own words, about life, identity, and why, as Balakrishnan puts it, “We are really not that different, you know.”

The film follows Khemka, who is deaf, and Balakrishnan, who is hard of hearing, navigating questions of identity and the challenges of daily life. For Khemka, the initial approach from Chadha was a curveball. “I was initially surprised and unsure of how to react,” she says. “But after getting to know her [Chadha], and realising she’s a smart and kind person, I truly believed she would dedicate herself to doing something meaningful for people with disabilities around the world, and I’m glad we were able to make this film together.”

Chadha, Janhavi Khemka, and Lavannya Balakrishnan’s conversations about their lived experience form a large part of the film